The OCLC Research Library Partnership

A venue for the research library community

The OCLC Research Library Partnership is a venue for research libraries to undertake significant, innovative, collective action to benefit scholars and researchers everywhere. The Partnership magnifies the leadership and direction provided by innovative libraries. OCLC recognizes the valuable contribution that research libraries play in the cooperative and supports the Partnership with the full capacities of OCLC Research. For institutions, the ORLP represents a significant extension of their own, internal R&D capacities.

Collaboratively designing a shared future

OCLC Research works with Partner institutions to identify challenges that are too big for an institution to address alone. Partners share their priorities and exchange innovative approaches to challenges they see ahead. Together we take a fresh look at community practice and consider alternative policies and approaches. With the Partnership, OCLC Research helps to develop shared understandings with events and publications on timely topics, assembles evidence (e.g. data analysis, user studies), surfaces techniques for sharing data, services and expertise, and develops prototypes to test and demonstrate improved approaches.

An international alliance

OCLC Research Library Partnership allies like-minded institutions from twelve countries. A multinational Partnership allows for Partner staff to meet and collaborate with staff from institutions pursuing different solutions or at different stages of adoption of solutions as they design their future services.

Join the OCLC Research Library Partnership

All research libraries and not-for-profit organizations with educational, research or cultural missions are invited to join the OCLC Research Library Partnership. You will benefit if you are ready to invest resources and staff expertise in collaboratively designing innovative programs and future services that increase the efficiency and impact of research libraries.

A number of subscription e-mail and discussion lists have been developed for staff at OCLC Research Library Partnership institutions to support continuing conversations about our work, share updates and solicit volunteers for new activities.

We are a worldwide library cooperative, owned, governed and sustained by members since 1967. Our public purpose is a statement of commitment to each other—that we will work together to improve access to the information held in libraries around the globe, and find ways to reduce costs for libraries through collaboration.